Documentaries

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MrCrowesGarden
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Re: Documentaries

Post by MrCrowesGarden »

I don't really watch too many of them. Outfoxed was pretty good though.

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doe_boy
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Re: Documentaries

Post by doe_boy »

pop_haines wrote: Manufacturing Consent - about how we are manipulated by the media
I have that on video pop. Every once in a while I watch it just to remind myself of what really drives the media.

I'd also add these:

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert McNamara.
-I really enjoyed this. The only thing McNamara doesn't do is say he was 'wrong' regarding Viet Nam.

Djangomania
-Interesting look at the many different types of fans and admirers of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Also goes into his life and some of it's aspects which weren't so admirable.

Lee Marvin:A Personal Portrait by John Boorman
-Director John Boorman gives a personal view of the actor he directed in such films as 'Point Blank' and 'Hell in the Pacific.' The film chronicles Lee's acting career, personal life, as well as the influence his war experience had on both.

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clement
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Re: Documentaries

Post by clement »

Some good ones already mentioned in this thread. A few others I'll add...

Three-Five People (a heartbreaking Chinese documentary about how some criminals in Chinese cities get children addicted to heroine and use them to do petty thievery work)

Children of Fate (great documentary made by NBC or some other network around 1960 documenting poverty in post-war Sicily that was never broadcast because of fears of triggering Communist sentiments; the director's son returned to Sicily in the early 1990s, found some of the same people from 30 years earlier and re-edited the original film with the follow-up footage)

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story (documentary about a young Japanese girl who was abducted by North Koreans and the efforts of her parents to try and find her and get the North Koreans to return her to Japan)

Gaea Girls (an unbelievable documentary about Japanese women wrestlers and the incredible harsh treatment the young aspiring wrestlers go through to train and try and break into the so-called "fake" business)

Who Killed the Electric Car? (an investigation of how the automobile industry, the oil industry, politicians, and various other lobbying groups conspired to destroy the chances of the electric car as a viable alternative to fuel-based automobiles)

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (I suppose it's obvious what this is about)

Mad Hot Ballroom (great uplifting documentary about New York school districts using a ballroom dancing competition to keep young children out of trouble and feel good about themselves... if you like this on you, you might also like Spellbound, about kids competing in the national spelling bee)

Murderball (docu about a group of tough men who have suffered spinal chord injuries and compete in a harsh game that combines elements of basketball, rugby, and demolition derby in wheelchairs)

Tarnation (self-indulgent but intriguing docu about a kid who filmed jsut about everything from his childhood and then as a 20 year old, pieced the footage together into a portrait of who he is and why he is so f***ed up as a young adult)

Daughter from Danang (documentary about a young girl who was part of an airlift to "rescue" children from Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam War, she returns 20-some years later after basically growing up as an American to be reunited with her mother, and struggle with the ensuing culture shock)

Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (some may find this one boring, it's just a 2-hour interview with Hitler's former secretary, but from a historical perspective, it's fascinating)

Etre et Avoir (to Be and to Have) (sweet documentary about a one-room schoolhouse in the French countryside)

The Kid Stays in the Picture (great documentary about the life of Hollywood producer extraordinaire Robert Evans - a must-see for any film buff)

Senorita Extraviada (disturbing docu about numerous women in a Mexican town that have been disappearing for years and the police's inability, unwillingness or maybe even complicity in failing to make any progress in solving the crimes)

Promises (simultaneously depressing and hopeful, a documentarian goes to Israel/Palestine and links up young Palestinian kids with young Jewish kids and watches how they get along and break down their initial prejudices that have been instilled by their surroundings)

Raw Deal: A Question of Consent (mind-boggling and maddening documentary about a woman who is raped at a college fraternity, the frat boys videotape the whole ordeal, and the videotape is used to exonerate the culprits)

Eyes of Tammy Faye (as the name suggests, a sympathetic documentary about the recently deceased Tammy Faye Bakker)

The Times of Harvey Milk: The Mayor of Castro Street (documentary about Harvey Milk, the openly gay city councilman from San Francisco who was murdered, along with the SF Mayor, by another city councilman Dan White - a great insight into the history of SF and the early origins of gay activism in that city)

The Celluloid Closet (great documentary by the same directors of the above film, about the history of gay and lesbian images in Hollywood film history)

okay i'll stop there... that was more than a few :) If I remember others, I'll add them later.

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G. Keenan
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Re: Documentaries

Post by G. Keenan »

Clement just mentioned To Be and To Have. Excellent documentary and very sweet.

Cardsfansince82 brought up King of Kong the other day, great, hilarious documentary.

Sister Helen: documentary about a former nun running a half-way house for men. Sounds boring but it is outstanding.

edit:

you can also watch old episodes of Frontline online. The episode Abortion Clinic is one of the most powerful hours of film that I have ever seen.

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omaha_red
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Re: Documentaries

Post by omaha_red »

clement wrote:Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (some may find this one boring, it's just a 2-hour interview with Hitler's former secretary, but from a historical perspective, it's fascinating)

.
that's the one they based "downfall" on, no?

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clement
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Re: Documentaries

Post by clement »

omaha_red wrote:
clement wrote:Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (some may find this one boring, it's just a 2-hour interview with Hitler's former secretary, but from a historical perspective, it's fascinating).
that's the one they based "downfall" on, no?
That's correct. In fact, you might remember in "Downfall" they showed images of the secretary talking as an old woman - these were lifted directly from the documentary.

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Arthur Dent
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Re: Documentaries

Post by Arthur Dent »

I thought Control Room was excellent.

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Bo Hart
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Re: Documentaries

Post by Bo Hart »

The last documentary I watched was "The King of Kong." I liked it a lot, but I can't help but think there was a lot of manipulative editing to romanticize things a little bit.

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lukethedrifter
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Re: Documentaries

Post by lukethedrifter »

Other than the unnecessary bits with Alicia Keys and the gratuitous participation of Bono, Muscle Shoals was a really great documentary. So I guess that makes it really good instead.
Wish they had explained the Lynyrd Skynyrd situation a bit better.

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Jocephus
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Re: Documentaries

Post by Jocephus »

The Hollywood Minute wrote:[Photo of U2 lead singer Bono] And, by the way, when did Bono turn uncool? Five years ago, he's the biggest rock star in the world. Now, he's like Potsie. [Side-by-side photos of Bono and Anson Williams as "Potsie" on the sitcom "Happy Days"] ... Seriously, the other guys in U2 are like, "Oh my God, here comes Bono. Don't tell him what we're doin' tonight." ... Meanwhile, if he came in here, we'd kiss his ass.

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